Inflatable life boat



J. COCHRANE ET AL INFLATABLE LIFE BOAT Ma .rch 15, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8, 1958 I INVENTORS Jbkzz flaolzz'azze Baby I Mills ATTORNEW March 15, 1960 .1. COCHRANE ET AL 2,928,108

INFLATABLE LIFEBOAT Filed. Jan. 8, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTORS BY r ATTORNEY)? March 15, 1960 J. COCHRANE ET AL INFLATABLE LIFE BOAT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 8, 1958 INVENTORS JoZm 0002mm BY Dmqy Z Mills Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view United sees P en 2,928,108 INFLATABLE. LiFE B OAT John com ie and Daisy-T. Mills, New York, NY. Application January 8, 195s, Serial 1N0. 707,759

' 7 Claims (Cl. -9 -2 This application is a continuation-in-partof our application Serial No. 514,2; 6, filed Iune:9,.l,955, ;now abancloned, for' Parachute Inflatable Life Boat. The invention relates to inflatable life boats, and par.- ticularly to inflatable life boats capable of beingcarri'ed and inflated by a descending parachutist. The'boat includes. novel stabilizing means and means whereby the boat can be made-to ride high on the surface of the water or low. therein. i i

-It is therefore an object of this inventiontoprovide an inflatable life boat readily inflated with either water or air.

flatable life boat having a stabilizing-sleeve attached there- It is another object of the iiivention t o provide an inice constituting the subject matter of the present invention. As .shown, thevbelt 6 also supports a cannister or, tank 10 of compressed air or the like. The tank 10 isconnected by-means of a flexibletube 12 to an inlet valve (not identified) on thelife boat 8 whereby at least a portion of the latter can be inflated by the .Wearer during parachute descent. The flexible tube 12 is shown as insuitable clip 16 on the belt 6. f

surrounds the life boat 18 and is secured thereto in concentric relation by adiaphragm of suitable sheet material 26. Arcanopy' structure comprising an inflatable tubular frame 27 and inflatable pillars 31, each of which may be collapsed and stowed within the folded life boat. When the userinflates and enters the life boat he mayinfiate the tubular framework 27 and the pillars 31. through suitable valve means (not shown), and secure the same to the life boat .18, in a manner to be described. The" tubular framework 27, when inflated, provides suificient rigidity toforrn a frame capable of supporting a canopy sheet 28. The canopy sheet 28 is merely laid across the upper surface of the tubulaifl framework 27 and is tied to the life boaclgiby snitable cords or filaments 30; The

to to prevent unwanted: drift in rough wateror to eflec-..--

tively extend the height of the sides of thelife boat. It is a still further object of this invention to provide" an inflatable life boat capable of serving as an emergency or auxiliary parachute.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an inflatable life boat with means whereby the same may be inflated with air or water, selectively.

' inflatable life boat simple in construction-andeconomical to manufacture and yet highly eflicient in operation.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent in a bundle andillustrating the manner inlwhich it is carried by a parachutist; a I k I I of therinflated lifeboat floating ina bodyof water; 1

' Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view'through an'inflatable seatfor the life boat; I J 1 FlgSTfi and 7 illustrate modified forms of compartment for the lifeboat and stabilizing sleeve; I

Fig. 8 1s a transverse sectional view through'the pillars, taken substantially alongthe line 8;8 of Fig. 2;

Fig.3 is a transverse vertical section through the life 1 boat of the present invention showing the partsfin one condition in solid line and'an alternative mode of opera-. tion in dotted line;

,It is another object of this inventionfltohprovide an" 1 plastic orrubber.

1 with transverse partitions extendingbetween the inner and outer walls thereof and around the entire side Wall member to divide the same into a plurality of separate an- ;frarnework27iis releasably secured to the pillars 31 by snap fasteners 29 or the like. 1 z -Referring now to *Fig; 3, the life boat 18 comprises a. -bottom20 and. side wall22. The bottom 20 and side wall .22 are formed ofimperforate material impervious to both air and water-and may bea;plastic impregnated fabric, rubber impregnated'fabric,gor' suitable sheets of flexible The side wall member 22 is provided j nularmompartments 34. "The partition members 32 are preferably imperforate so that the compartments 34 are to those skilled in the art as-the description proceeds in V connectioniwith the accompanying} drawings, wherein: I I I Fig. 1 is a side view of the collapsed'life boatarranged i 2 suitable valve or cook 40 communicating with the bottom portion of each compartment on the outside of thelife .would-haveplenty of time, during descent,.toinflate all,

,Fig. 9 is a transversesectional view through'the canopy frame, taken substantially along the line 9 9 of --'Fig. .2;

Fig, 10 is a sectional view similarto Figs. 6 and 7 but "showing a furtherrnodified form of compartmentstrucand: 50) communicating with, the lower and upper por- Referring firstto-Fig. 1 numeraIfZ indicates a para chutist having the usual or conventional parachute 4 strapped to his back? the customary manner: .Anauxiliary belt 6 is attach'edgaround the parachutists waist to I secure to his person a collapsed and folded life boat 8,

sealed from each other and completely independent. A

plurality oflongitudinal partitions 36 divides the bottom 20 into a plurality of elongated separate compartments 38.

Each of the'compartments 3 4 and 38 is -.pro'vided with a boat." Likewise each of the compartments 34 and 38 is providedwith a valve 42, on the inside of the boat and -twoyetlves,one at the bottom and one atthe top. The fleXibIe-tu bing'IZ shown in Fig. 1 may be connected with the inner "valve-42 of any compartment desired, or to more than one,- although preferably to the upper valve', 7 of atleast the upper compartment 34 so that, upon infla- 'tion of thafcornpartmentduring descent the upper compartmentahleast will be distended to open the life i boat priort toflanding onathe water. The parachutist the compartments, if desired.

f. -An-outer'-.or stabilizing sleeve 24 is likewise formed with inner andouter wall panels of flexible and impervifousmaterial and is also providedwith transverse partitions' 44idividing the sleeve structure into a plurality of annular-and independent compartments 46;. Each of the compartments 46 is provided with a pair of-valves48 tion of each compartment,respectiyelyr The valves48 and; 50, are preferably positioned on-the outer surface of the sleeve 2 4.

E'AsSuming. that the life boat has been at least partially 1 Patented Mar. 15, 1960 eluding extra length thereof coiled 'at 14 and held in a connecting the same successively to the valves 42 on the inside of the boat to inflate each of the compartments 34 and 38 with air to thus provide a fully inflated life boat. Thereafter the user may, by reaching outwardly over the side of the boat, open the valves 48,and 50 of the sleeve 24, thus permitting water to enter the lower valves 48 and exhaust any air in the compartments 46 through the valves 50. In this manner the user may inflateany or all of the compartments 46 with water to distend sleeve 24 and cause the same to settle in the body of water for a purpose to be described. The sleeve 24 and the life boat 18 are secured to each other by a flexible member 26. The member 26 preferably comprises an imperforate sheet or membrane extending entirely around the life boat 13 and secured to both the life boat and the sleeve 24 at about the vertical midpoint of each. Thus, the flexible membrane 26 limits the relative vertical movement between life boat 18 and sleeve 24 and holds the sleeve generally concentric to the life boat. The sleeve 24 is preferably of about the same vertical height as the side wall member 22 of the life boat and the flexible membrane 26 is of such length that the sleeve can move vertically, relative to the life boat, through a distance substantially equal to the height of the sleeve. Thus, the sleeve may move relative to the life boat from a lowermost position as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 to an uppermost position relative to the boat as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

7 With the life boat 18 inflated with air and the sleeve 24 inflated with water, the life boat will float quite high in the water, whereas the sleeve 24 will seek its lowermost position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3. In this condition the lifeboat rideshigh so that the occupant may have good visibility and yet the sleeve 24, beingimmersed quite deeply, serves as a stabilizing member to prevent undue drift and bobbling of the life boat.

As further shown in Fig. 3, the upper and lower edge portions of both the side wall member 22 of the life boat and the sleeve 24 are provided with spaced loops 52 secured thereto. -The loops 52 on the upper edge' of'the life boat 18 may be employed to secure the tubular framework 27 to the life boat. it is contemplated that the lowermost ends of the vertical tubularportions of the framework 27 be provided with suitable cords or filaments 27 whereby the framework may be tied to the loops 52 to secure the framework in placeI Likewise, certain of the loops 52 are employed for tying the filaments 30 to secure the canopy sheet 28 in place.

The inflatable framework comprising elements 27 and 29 and the canopy panel 28 along with its filaments 30 may obviously be removed from their position illustrated in Fig. 2 and upon deflation may be stored or stowed anywhere within the life boat compartment. The inflatable framework may be collapsed and stowedanywhere within the passage compartment when the device is employed in the manner shown in Fig. 4, as will be described later. i 1

With the parts in the condition shown in solid line in Fig. 3, the boat would tend to bobble considerably in rough weather; Under such conditions thevuser of the life boat, by reaching over .theiedge thereof, may open the outer valves and inner valves 42, thus admitting water into the compartments 34 and 38 and driving air therefrom through valves 42. When the compartments 34 and 33 have become filled with water the valves 40 and 42 may be closed and the life boat remains in its distend, inflated condition but is inflated with water instead of air. The body, however, remains buoyant but will occupy a lower position in the supporting body of water as indicated by the dotted lines of Fig. 3. The oc cupant of the boat may then, by reaching overthe side, open the lower valve of the upper compartment 46 and by introducing air from his tank 10 through valve 50, he may inflate the upper compartment 46 'with air while driving water therefrom outwardly through'valve 48: When that compartment has been emptied of water, the

valves 48 and 50 are closed and the process repeated on the next lower compartment until the entire sleeve 24 has been inflated with air and floats in the higher position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. With the parts in the dotted line position of Fig. 3, it will be obvious that the life boat'bearing the occupant rides quite low in the wa ter and thus does not bobble or bounce in rough water as badly as it would if inflated with air. At the same time, the high riding sleeve 24 and the flexible membrane 26 constitute an effective upward extension of the side of the life boat to prevent splashing of water thereinto.

Obviously, the collapsed life boat may be provided with a manually operated air pump, such as a bicycle pump, whereby the compartments may be inflated with air by hand even though the supply of compressed air in tank 10 is exhausted.

During the time the collapsed life boat is carried as a bundle on the person of the parachutist, as shown in Fig. 1, it is preferred that suitable shroud lines or cords 200 (see Fig. 11) be connected to the lower loops 52 at the bottom edge of either the side wall member 22 or the sleeve 24, or both, and with all those lines or shrouds further connected to a center support such as a ring 202 or the like which, in turn, maybe connected to the parachutists harness, as suggested at 204 in Fig. 11. Thus, in. the event the parachute 4 fails to open, the parachutist may release the collapsed life boat and inflate the same and it will thereupon serve as an emergency parachute capable of at least breaking the persons fall into the water to such a degree that serious injury is unlikely. Furthermore, even though the inflatable life boat when employed in the manner suggested in Fig. 11 may not offer as much support as does a conventional parachute, yet it will provide suflicient frictional drag to break the users fall to a large degree and prevents the user from tumbling haphazardly into the water. With the drag imposed by the inflated life boat, the user can maintain and readily assume the proper attitude for entry into the water in a manner least likely to cause bodily injury.

In addition, the life boat may be employed as an auxiliary a parachute to further slow the descent of the parachutist even though his main parachute 4 opens satisfactorily as indicated by dotted line in Fig. 11.

Fig. 4 of the drawings shows a, further manner of use of the life boat heretofore described. parachutist lands in extremely cold weather or in frigid weather such as is usually encountered in polar regions, exposure in an open life boat may be very harmful and it istherefore desirable to provide protection for the occupant against the weather. Under such circumstances the life boat 18 may be partially or completely inflated with water to ride low in the body of water, as shown in Fig. 4. The sleeve 24 is inflated with air but the upper compartments are preferably inflated to a very low pressure whereby the sleeve may be lifted and the upper edge drawn inwardly in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The sleeve 24 may be held in the position shown by means of cord or the like secured to opposed loops 52 on the upper edge of the sleeve 24. The upper compartments 46 of the sleeve 24 are inflated to a low pressure so that theycan partially collapse when drawn to the shape of Fig. 4. The canopy material 28 may then be laid over the op'enbenter of the assembly and its cords 30 employed, by tying to the loops 52 on the bottom of the sleeve 24, to secure the canopy sheet 28 in the position shown to serve as a cover. With the parts in the relative the sleeve also serves as 'a splash guard to prevent entry into the boat of spray from the sea. The canopy 28, of

In the event the Y compartments 46 of'the stabilizing sleeve.

ate-areas chum Provides. a m lete ha e"? a arther atrial?- tion and protection of theoccupant.

The flexible diaphragm 26 has been described as prefe erably imperforate. However, it may be perforated if desired to provide more ready access to the external valves 40 on the sidesof the lite boat below the member 26. Furthermore, a'few per forations in the member 26 would permit entry'of water to the upper: side thereof whereby theupper compartments 34 of the life boat 18 may be readilyfilled with w ter." 'I'f"desired,the member 26 may be provided witha single opening over the external valves 46 on the side of the life boatwith a removable closure for that opening. When the life boat is used in the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, it would be highly desirable to have the member 26fcorripletely .imperforate. However, a few openings there-.

7 through would not destroy theetfectiveness of the member as a splash guard to prevent entry of water into the through the valve by means of which air is exhausted. Obviously "both valves94 and 96 may be on thesaine side oi the structure, either inside or outside the boat or on theiinrier or outer 'face of the sleeve to facilitate ac cess thereto, If the valves are both on the inside of'the boat "any suitable hand pump or equivalent device may be employed to introduce either air or water intothe tubes life boat. The external valves 40 on the bottom 'of the In the modification of Fig. 7, the compartment 34 contains only a single tube 98 having a valve 100 communicating with the exterior of the structure. A-second valve 182 communicates with the interior of the compartment 34 e'xteriorly {of the tube 98. Thus the space outside the tube '98 constitutes..-thespace to be inflated with air,

whereas-the tube'98 is adapted to receive water for the purposes'previously described. The tube 98 substantial- Iy completely fills the compartment 34, when inflated, ,i and can be collapsed to occupy a very small volume when the water 104 is drained therefrom and the space outside the tube 98 'is filled withjair. Here again, both valves 100 and 102 may be on the same side of the side wall structure or of the sleevefor ready access by an'o'ccupant of the boat. r

Fig. 8 shows a detail of construction of the pillars 31. As described, the pillars 31 are inflatable. Fig.8 shows a* transverse partition 106 and valves 108 and'1'1 0'com- 1 'r'niinicating with the interior of the pillar 31, on opposite sides of the partition 106. Thus; if'the pillar 31 develops by being constructed entirely separately from the boat.

As shown, the seat structure is divided into three airtight compartments 76, 7 8 and 80. Each of thelcompartments is divided into two chambers byj atransverse diaphragm or partition 82. Thepartition's 82 are of sufficient area to fold against either opposed side of the compartment whereby the'chambers' on opposite sides thereof may be ments izs'further l m i f With" suitable valves 84 communicating therewith on opposite sides of the diaphragms or partitions 82. By this means the valves maybe manipulated to inflate either chamber of -eachrcompartmentwith any desired medium, for instance, one of the chambers may be'inflated with water, as indicated at 86, which may ,besea wateror collected rain water.

In the latter instance the chamber serves as a storage compartment for drinking water. Obviously the compartment may be completely inflated with either airfor water'by' introducing the inflating medium through the selected valve 84 on one side of a par-tition'82 and leave ing the other valve open; Thus upon complete inflation of the chamber," the inflating medium is not permitted to exhaust from the. val-velcommunicating with the, opposite chamber: 1 V a As shown, the sides of the seati'st'ructure 70 are secured to the side wall 22 ot the life boat'iby' means of snap fasteners 83, although it ,ijsicontemplated that either or both sides of the seat structure may be integrally formed with the side of thelife'boat.

' Fig. 6 show'sa modified compartmentarrangeme'nt for either the compartments 34m 38 of the life boat or the The p'artii whereinthe inflatablemembcrs of the frame'are provided a leak' or puncture on either side of the partition 1%,

thefother' side may befinflatedfto provide the'necessary rigidity to support the'canopy described; 1

Fig. 9 shows a structural detail of 'the canopy frame 27 V with a-= vertical transverse partition-112 extending across .35 expanded to fill the compartment. Each of the compartvided'with an integral impervious partition or diaphragm I I each other and on the s'amefjsideof the walli structure. Such construction would be'of advantage particularlvfor tions 32 (or 36 or 44, as the case may be)" are 'still present to divide the structure into the compartments previ ously described. However, in Fig. 6 eachborhpartment contains a pair of tubes 90 and 92 extendi ng-throughout the compartment. The tube'90 is independently; valved at 94 to the exterior of the compartment and-thetube 92 is also independently valved to the exterior'of the structure by a valve 961 Each of the .tubes and 92 is of sufiicient cross-sectional area to substantially completely fill the compartment wherebyeither tribejmay be selectively inflated with, the desired medium ;:'(air or Water), thus displacing the inflating medium-in the other.

tube through its valve! By this'means a compartment inflated with air maybe subsequently inflated with water without danger of losing the water introduced therein,

a diameter thereof when'theframe is inflated. The partition 112 divides the interior of theframe members into twocompartments each having an inflating valve 114 3 communicating therewith. ByIinflating both chambers, through both (valves 114,; the canopy frame 27 is more rigid than itwould be without the partition 112 since the In Fig. 10 a further In dified form of compartment for the life boat orstabilizing sleeve is shown. 'In this 'form T of constructionthe compartment 34is not provided with independen'tftubes as shown in Figs. 6"and -7".but is pro- 116'capable"of being displaced either upwardly ordownwardly 'so that'the chamber on one side or the other suhstantially'completely fills the compartment'34.. In this modification the chamber above the diaphragm 1116' is inflated or deflated througha valve 11 8'. A value communicates with a flexible tube .122 extending'through -a'side wall of the compartment and downward y through the diaphragm or partition'116; By this construction the valvesf118 and 120 maybe placed in closeproximityto the lower compartments ofeither the life boat sidewalls or the sleeve 24 whereby Ithose compartments may be selectively inflated with water or air without having to reach downwardly over the side of the boat for that purpose.

It further contemplated, that. the flexible diaphragm 26 connecting the stabilizing sleeve to the life boat, be

provided with one ormore drainage openings therethrough (not shown) and'that the openings be provided with suitable stoppers or plugs (not shown). By referring to Fig.3, it will be seenthatthe diaphragm 26v =defines with the side wall of the life boat and the sta bilizi-ng sleeve, a channel running around the entire struc ture, It is quite likely that sea water will splash-into and be retained in that channeL. By providingasuitable.

" drainage opening, such sea water may bedrained from the channel and'during periods ofjrain, the channel may be washed by the rain, and upon closing the drainage opens 7 ings-the channel serves tocollect rain water as a supply of drinking water for the occupant-of the boat. 1

It is also contemplated that the bottom of the life boat be provided with a suitable drain opening 124 and a suitable stopper or plug 126 therefor. By this means the lifeboat may be drained of water when it is beached and may be used as a rain water collection device if the occupant is beached or reaches land in an area having no fresh water supply.

It is further contemplated that the life boat may if desired be provided with suitable removable shoulder straps'(not shown) whereby the folded life boat may be carried on the wearers backrather than in the manner shown in Fig. 1, when it is necessary to abandon a ship or the like already on the water. i The wearer may then carry the life boat down a ladder or the like and sufficiently inflate the same when he reaches the water surface.

It is further contemplated that the canopy sheet 28 may be permanently attached to the canopy frame 27, thus eliminating the necessity for the tie cords 30 shown in Fig. 2. However, it is preferred that the tie cords 30 be present and that the canopy 28 and frame 27 be lashed to the upper edge of the life boat or the sleeve 24 when carried by ,a parachutist. By attaching the canopy in such a manner, the use of the life boat as a temporary or auxiliary parachute is enhanced since the canopy itself then serves as an additional parachute surface (see Fig. 11). tached canopy sheet 28 are capableof functioning as a temporary or emergency raft.

While a limited number of embodiments. of the invention are shown and described herein, it is contemplated that the invention, as identified by-the appended claims, encompasses other modifications.

We claim:

1. An inflatable life boat particularly for usewith a parachute comprising an-inflatable boat body, an opensided canopy structure secured to the boat body and inflatable thereover, an inflatable stabilizer surrounding and connected to the, inflatable body to give added drag during the descent of the parachute 'and stabilization of the boat body when in the water, a center support, and parachute strings interconnecting thecenter support with the boat body and the canopy structure, said boat body and stabilizer being concentrically arranged in spaced relation'and interconnected relative to each other.

3 2. An inflatable lifeboat particularly for use with a parachute comprising an inflatableboat body structure,

an inflatable stabilizer structure surrounding and connected to the inflatable boat body to give added drag in the descent of the parachute and stabilization of the boat. body structure when in the water, a center support and parachute strings interconnecting the center support with one of said structures, said boat body and stabilizer being concentrically arranged in spaced relation and interconnectedrelative to. each other.',

3. An inflatable life boatcomprising, a bottom and up- Obviously, the inflated canopy frame 27 and atstanding sides, said bottom and sides each comprising spaced walls and transverse partitions extending therebetween, said partitions dividingsaid bottom and said sides into a plurality of air-tight compartments, each of said compartments being provided with a first valve means controlling a passagewayv from the upper portion of the compartment to the exterior thereof and second valve means controlling a passageway from the lower portion of the compartment to the exterior of said boat whereby said compartments may be selectively inflated with air through said first valve means or water through said second valve means.

4. An inflatable life boat as defined in claim 3 including an inflatable upright sleeve surrounding the sides of said boat and spaced therefrom, means dividing said sleeve into a plurality of air-tight compartments, first valve means for each compartment adjacent the top thereof and second valve means for each compartment adjacent the bottom thereof whereby said compartments may be selectively inflated with air or-water, and flexible means securing said sleeve to said side walls for relative vertical movement.

5. An inflatable life boat as defined in claim 4 wherein the height of said sleeve-is substantially equal to the height of said sides, said flexible means joining said sides to said sleeve intermediate the tops and bottoms thereof and being of such length as to permit relative vertical movement between said sides and said sleeve through a distance substantially equal to the heightof said sides.

6. An inflatable life boat comprising, a hollow collapsible bottom and a hollow collapsible side member, means for selectively inflating said bottom and side membet with air or water, a hollow collapsiblecontinuous sleeve member surrounding the sides of said boat and spaced outwardly therefrom, means for selectively inflating said sleeve member with air or water, said sleeve member being relatively narrow in lateral dimension and of a height susbtantially equal to the height of said side member, and flexible means in the space between said membersand secured to each, said flexible means being of sufficient lateral dimension to permit said members to move relatively, in'a vertical direction by an amount substantially equal to the height of .said members.

7. An inflatable life boat as defined in claim 6 wherein said flexible means comprises a substantially continuous and imperforate sheet of flexible material extending between said members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENT S 1,833,326 Krolman Nov -24, 19.31 2,319,132 Hood May 11,- 1943 2,390,199 Walsh Dec. 4, 1945 2,804,633 Taylor et al. Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 4, 1952 

